Trolley-car switch-controller.



S. 'USLIANER. TROLLEY OAR SWITCH CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28, 1908.

Patented June 29, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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S. USLIANBR.

TROLLEY CAR SWITCH CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28, 1908.

Patented June 2 1909 a m WW MA WITNESSES TROLLEY-CAR SWITCH-CONTROLLER. i

Specification 01 Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Application filed November 28, 1908. Serial No. 464,967.

To all 'tIR/LOHL it may concern.

le it known that, l, SOLOMON USLIANER, a subject of the King of England, residing in Paterson. lassaic county, New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful .lniprovcmcutin 'lrolley-(lar Switch-Controllcrs; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the operating of switches on trolley systems and the .like may be posi- -.tively controlled under all ordinary conditions by the motorinan without his leaving the car; in carrying out my invention 1 have had in mind to make the.entirc mechanism as simple as possible and so to construct it that it wiil not be likely to getottt of order or be temptn'arily incapacitated as by t'rct'zing snow, ice, etc.

In the accompanying drawings, l igure 'l is a side view of a trolley railway, inclttding a part of a car, and showing my improved switch controlling mechanism; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of what is seen in Fig. 1 ;;Fig.

3 is a view on a larger scale of a part of what is shown in Fig. 2; Fig. l is a plan view of so much of the rail as includes a switch for turning a car from the main line to the right; Fig. an enlarged view in side elevation, partly in section. of so much of: the mechanism as is carried by the car;

,l ig. (3 shows what is seen in Fig. 5 in front.

elevation; Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the.

line a:--.c of Fig. l); and, Fig. S is a detail of Fig. 3. v

The 'ails (1, arranged on the tics I are oi the type, common in street railways, which are grooved at the top, as at c, for the reception of the wheel flanges; at the-neccssai v points the are provided with the pivotedswitch points (Z, for directing a car either to the right or to the left relatively to the mainline. \Vith their top 'alls flush with the tops of the rail, closed boxes e are arranged against Opposite sides of the rail adjo ning the free end of the switch point. In

these boxes. each on a vertical pivot f, are. tulcrumed between their ends the levers o,- by springs /L these levers are normally held sides.

a push pin a pivoted thereto and projecting laterally through an opening in the rail which acts to guide the push pin. The push pins 1: ar adaptcd to impinge against the switch point to displace it the one one way and the other the other.

The. t'oregoing describes switches for directing cars to the left from the main line;

-in order that cars may be directed to the right from the main line, as shown in Fig. 4, the boxes 0 and the parts g and 11 contained therein may be arranged at the right side of the track to operate the right switch, but in this instance the knobs i will retnain at the left side of the track. Each knob i is connected with its lever by a rod (1 extending through a suitable casing r terminating at the left side of the track in a box .s termed with slot 1* in the top thereol' to allow the lateral play of the knob 1'. Beyond each knob I. relatively to the direction from which trallic proceeds, and n alinement therewith. is placed a hump at, whose purpose will be hereafter indicated.

The actuation of the pu 'h pins, which is :u-couiplished through the lever g, is etlected by the motorinan without his having the ar. as tollow Depending from the front plat l'orin ot' the car is a bracket: i in which are l'ulcrnmcd paralletlevers w, w. The working position of these levers is indicated by the lever in Fig. l, in which position a blade .r, having its outer edge oblique will trail llat along the rail. The levers are arranged closely enough together so that the point of either blade will assuredly impingagainst the inside at the corresponding knob i.

Standards secured side by side against. plattorni afid the dash board .1 of the car. t'orni guides for two pu h rods 2 each ot which slides vertically in its standard through an opening it in the platform and in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, has its upper end crooked to form a handle .-\t the other end each lever carries Fahd its lower end forked, at 5, and receiving one of the levers 2'0, w. Detent rods are arranged to slide vertically in the stand ards 3 each being arranged in front of a push rod 2 and having its upper end turned back, through a slot 7 in the push rod (whereby it is kept from turning), to form a handle 8 which lies normally within con veni'ent reach of the handle 4. A strap 9 projects from each push rod 2 and is penetrated by the detent rod 6, a spring 10 be-.

ing interposed between the strap and a collar 11 on the detent rod, which spring acts vto press the detent rod downwardly. The

lower end of each detent rod is beveled, being adapted to engage teeth 12 in the correspending lever w, to); Each standardy is formed as a vertical rack 13 with which a spring actuated pawl 14, pivoted on the corresponding push rod 2, is adapted to engage, said pawl being connected with a lever 15, fulcrumed between the handles-4 and 8 on the push-rod 2,bya link 16.

In operation, assuming theta car is appreaching the switch. and it is intended'that it should be directed to the left relatively to the switch point: The switch point, say,

stands in the position shown in Fig. 3. Bothlevers....heing held elevated in the position occupied by theelever '10, under the weight of the'push rods and thepressure of the.

pawls 14 against the rack 13, the motorman raises the left-hand push rod so that the blade 0: thereof will trail onthe mail; the

pawl 14, byengaging the rack 13, will now maintain, the push rod normally elevated. As the car approaches the switch point the v oblique side of the blade-w will engage-the its fulcrum, will cause the push-pin 'to shiftouter knob z' in its undercut mend, shifting it to the left and thereby turning lever g on I the switch point to the right, in which position the car will be deflected by the switch point to the left. In the meanwhile, the blade at will have engaged hump u, so that J the lever to is shifted on ,its'fulcrum; the

detent rod 6 then clicks over the rack 12 of lever w to finally hold it'in the position to which it is elevated, in' which position the blade will be sufiiciently out of contact with the ground for the time being to prevent its interfering with obstacles along the track. The'motorman, as soon as he can convenientlydo so, new releases pawl 14, so-that he can, push rod 2down, which,

engaging lever w, moves it to the position normally occupied thereby .qand shown in- Fig. v1, in which position the parts will be held; both by the weight of the parts and the pressure of the pawl 14 against the rack 13.; In case the car is to take a straight course, or turn to the right, the motorman has to raise the right-hand push-rod.

It will be seen that the construction of the boxes 6 and their accessory mechanism is such that they are protected against freez ing ice and snow and that, the nobs 2' are formed with the undercuts m so that the blades 00, a" will effectively engage them;

the only parts of the switch-point actuating ing the speed of the car whatever, it not be- .7

ing even neccssaryfor him to note the position of the switch point. V V

The part of, the mechanism carried by the car, it will be understood, may be arranged at either sides of the platform,-according to convenience and available space.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is p 1. In a railway system, the combination of the mile, a vehicle adapted to move thereon, a switchoint, levers fulcrumed one atone side an the other at theother side of one rail, push-pins guided in the rail one at one side-and the other at the other side of the switch-point and each connected to a lever',--a'knob carried by each lever and protruding upwardly, means for holding the ends of the levers adjoining, the push-pins normally outward, and means, adapted to engage either of said knobs and carried by the 'vehicle, for moving each lever, substantially as described.

2. In a railway system, the combination of the rails, a vehicle adapted to move thereon, a switch-point adjoining one rail, levers fulcrui'ned one at one side and the other at the other side of said rail, pushpins guided in said rail one at one side and, the other at the other side of the switchpoint and each connectedto a lever, a casing extending transversely of said rails, rods extending through'the casing and respectively connected to said levers, knobs carried y wardly one at one side and the other at the other side of the other rail, means for holding the ends of the levers adjoining the push pins normally outward, and means, adaptedto engage either of said knobs and the rods -and protruding npcarried by "-thevehicle, for moving each .s

lever, substantially as described.

' 3. In a railway system, the combination 12o thereon, a switch-point, a c-osed box arranged'beside the switch point with its topof the rails, a vehicle ada ted to move substantially flush with the toporf the ad joining rail, the to of said-box having a slot therein, a kn'o havin ashank proa jecting through said slot and a head resting ion the top of the box and formed with an undercut at one side, means for, transmit-. ting motion from the knob to the switch point, and means. comprising a blade adapted to-trail over said box an'd engage the knob in its underent, t'or movim said' knob and thereby the \ehiele, aaid last named means being ftllllttl by the vehirle, substantially as described.

4. In a 'ailvvay system. the eombination of'the rails, a vehiele adapted to move thereon a .switehmint a irotrndin svviteh a l a n [)Olllb artuatlng part, a lever tnlernmed longitmhnally of the vehicle. and havm; llS

rear end movable into trailing relation. a

blade carried by the rear end of said lever and movable therewith into at-Lnatineeontacbwith said part, and a detent carried by the vehicle and movable vertically therein into engagement with the forward eml of said lever, substantially as dema-ihed.

In a railway syetem the (combination ol the l'flllH, a vehicle adapted to move tlmreon,a swlteh-poinga protrm'lingswitehlpoint aetnatin; part, a lever l'nlerutned lomgitmlimdly ol' the vehiele and having it r ar end movable into trailing relation, a blade earried by the rear end of said lever and movable tlnzrevvithintoactuatingeontaet i \vith said part, said lever having a rack on I the upper porlionol' its forv'ard end, a detent earried by the vehicle, and movable (lo\\i|\\':ll'lll into en; :'agement, with the rack of the lever, and a push-rod movable vertieally in the vehicle aml adapted to engage the t'orvvard end of said lever, substantially as deseribed. y

In testimony, that I elaim the fore oing, I ha \"e hereunto set. my hand this 27th day ol' November, 1908. i SOLOMON ,USLIANEH.

l\'it.nesses:

\VM. 1). BELL, .lonx \V. S'rnwAnn. 

